Law Students

The Good Wife: Week 9

By jessie

This week TGW found herself asserting her authority over a more senior man. That made for a series of interesting moments. Meanwhile her husband's former lover was on tv calling her "frigid." Everyone's favorite adjective for professional women.

For all that, the moment I most sympathized with TGW was when she had to walk through the office feeling like everyone was looking at (and judging) her. She's just learned about the new media circus surrounding her husband's infidelity. As she walks to her partner's office it seems like everyone is staring, turning to watch, and making knowing eyes at her. It's pretty brutal. 

Other noteworthy scenes:

Symbolic represtentation v. actual representation:  Her client chooses her to sit as a vassel through which he can make his own arguments. Nothing wrong with that in the abstract but it reminded me of stories I hear about clients asking for more diverse representation and being given symbolic, not real diversity. Law firms will produce a women to handle client relations, but not give her client credit or new work. The client thinks they've met their own internal requirement to diversify outside counsel, the firm has satisfied the client, but women haven't actually been promoted or advanced. Here TGW gets the privilege of a high profile client without any of the actual benefits. Of course this is television not real life so TGW quickly impresses her client with her talent and mind and gets to actually represent him as well.

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Full post as published by Ms. JD on November 30, 2009 (boomark / email).